After making history with his Emmy win for The Night Of, Riz Ahmed is already in talks for a feature role. According to latest reports, the actor may sign on for one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters if he seals a deal with Netflix to star in a contemporary adaptation of Hamlet.
After making history with his Emmy win for The Night Of, Riz Ahmed is already in talks for a feature role. According to latest reports, the actor may sign on for one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters if he seals a deal with Netflix to star in a contemporary adaptation of Hamlet.
The story of Hamlet is set in a modern day London of economic and political uncertainty and follows themes like family honour, moral duty and dynastic corruption. If the talks are successful, Ahmed will follow the footsteps of actors like Kenneth Branagh, Ethan Hawke and Oscar Isaac, who have all played the protagonist.
Ahmed, a British-Pakistani actor, was also nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and three British Independent Film Awards aside from Emmys. Initially the actor was known for his work in independent films such as The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Four Lions, Trishna and Ill Manors before his breakout role in Nightcrawler.
Coming back to Hamlet, the screenplay has been done by Mike Lesslie who earlier penned Assassin’s Creed and Macbeth while it will be produced by Jim Wilson (Under the Skin, Attack the Block, You Were Never Really There).
Aside from Hamlet, Ahmed’s upcoming projects include DC’s Venom and The Sisters Brothers movie in which he stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix.
